According to IICRC guidelines, carpets should be cleaned every 12-18 months. This is also the recommendation made by the majority of carpet manufacturers. It is important to clean carpets as a part of a regular maintenance for your home. This is true because carpet is essentially a large filter. It will absorb many contaminants ranging from dirt, bacteria, and oils, not all of which can be vacuumed out. As a result, a build-up of these contaminants will accumulate over time. The steam cleaning process is designed to cut through this build up and has been proven to provide virtually unlimited soil removal.